Corn-cutter



(N0 Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

W. ROWLAND.

CORN CUTTER Patented May 31 Wino/Mao 3 Sheets -sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. ROWLAND.

CORN CUTTER.

Patented May 31,1898.

attozwm c. TNE mums PETEPS co, wcraumou WASHINGTON. D

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. ROWLAND.

00m CUTTER,

No. 604,793. Patented May 31,1898.

n1: worms PETERS co. PHOTO-LITHOV wnsnmotom u c llm'rnn S'rn'rns Fa'rnwr @rrroa W'ILLIAM ROXVLAND, OF INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS.

CORN CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,793, dated May 31, 1898. Application filed February 13,1897- Sefifll N01 (N model-l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ROWLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Independence, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Gutters; and I do declare the following to be a f ull,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to improvements in corn-cutters; and the object is to provide a cutter attachment for ordinary farm-wagons, whereby the tops of broom and kafir corn, sugar-cane, and similar standing grain may be cut and automatically loaded into the wagon.

To this end the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a farm-wagon with my improved cutting attachment detachably secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking forward. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the main driving-shaft. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the counter-shaft. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the rear end of the wagon, taken opposite to that shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of one of the detachable shaft bearing brackets.

1 represents an annular sprocket-wheel rim provided with a series of inwardly-projecting arms 2 2, lying parallel with the spokes of the wheel 3, and 4 4 represent U-shaped clamps encompassing the arms of the sprocket-wheel 1. The contiguous spokes of the carryingwheel 3 and the threaded ends of these clamps are provided with yokes 5 5 and nuts 6 6, by means of which the said sprocket-wheel is removably secured to said Wheel concentric with its hub.

7 represents a pivoted removable frame mounted on the tube Ct, secured in brackets A A, which in turn are removably secured to the rear end of the upper edges of the sideboards.

8 represents a transverse shaft journaled in cap-bearings B B on the ends of the tube a, and one end of this shaft carries a small sprocketqvheel 9, connected by a sprocketchain 10 to the s1:)rocket-wheel 1.

11 represents an angle-gear wheel, also fixed on the shaft 8, which meshes with a similar though smaller angle-gear 12 on a longitudinal shaft 13, journaled in cap-bearings on the ends of a tube 71, mounted in brackets 14 14, secured to the frame 7, its forward end carrying a bevel-gear 15 in mesh with a similar gear 16, fixed on the lower end of a vertical shaft 17, mounted in brackets 18 19, secured to the frame 7. This gear-wheel 11 slides longitudinally on a key I) in the end of the shaft 8, so as to turn with it, and its hub c is provided with an annular groove d, which receives the forked end 6 of a hand-lever f, fulcrumed on a bracket g on the frame, by means of which the gear 11 can be thrown in and out of mesh with the gear 12 at will.

20 20 represent radial cutter-blades secured by their common hub 21 and set-screw 22 to the vertical shaft 17. These blades revolve horizontally across the edge of a throat-plate 23, secured to the frame, the edge of the plate being beveled to act as a stationary shearblade for the revolving cuttei blatles. A shelf or platform 1 is secured to the front end of the frame 7 to fill thespace between the frame and the contiguous side of the wagonbody.

24 24 represent the fan arms, secured to the upper end of the vertical shaft to bend the tops of the grain-stalks over as the cutterblades sever them and sweep the cut tops into the wagon.

25 is a segmental rack-plate secured to the inside of the front end of the wagon, and its curved edge is formed with a series of retaining-notches 26, which engage a sliding pawl 27 on a bell-crank lever 28, fulcrumed on a stud 29, fixed in the front end of the wagon. The horizontal arm 30 of this lever is pivoted to the lower end of a connecting-rod 31, the opposite end of which is pivoted to the supporting-arm 32 on the front end of the frame, by manipulating the and it will be seen that lever 28 the front end of the frame which carries the cutting apparatus can be raised or lowered to correspond to the height of the grain to be cut.

28 represents asheet-metalguard or shield which is secured to the frame '7 to prevent the grain being thrown entirely over the wagon-body when the cutting apparatus is elevated.

29 represents the finger-guards to gather the grain in toward the cutters.

The forward end of the frame 7 is first adjusted to the height of the tops of the grain to be cut, and the machine is then driven parallel with the rows, so that the guards 29 29 will be in the path of the grain, which is then I cut by the blades 20 and discharged into the wagon-body.

Although I have specifically described the construction and relative arrangement of the several elements of my invention, I do not desire to be confined to the same, as such changes or modifications may be made as clearly fall within the scope of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,

Awagon provided with the usual carryingwheels, the sprocket-wheel rim 1 removably secured to one of said wheels, in combination with the tube a mounted in the brackets A A, fixed to the upper edge of the sides of the wagon near its rear end, the shaft 8 journaled in said tube, the sprocket-wheel 9 fixed on one end of said shaft, the sprocket-chain 10 connecting said rim 1 and sprocket-wheel, the bevel gear-wheel 11 fixed on the opposite end of said shaft, the platform-frame 7 pivoted at its rear end to said tube aand adjustably connected at its forward end to the front end of the wagon-box, the longitudinal tube h fixed in said platform-frame, the shaft 13 journaled in said tube h, the bevel gear-wheel 12 fixed to the rear end of said shaft 13 and the bevel-gear 15 fixed to the forward end of said shaft, the vertical shaft 17 journaled in the forward end of said platform-frame, the bevel gear-Wheel 16 fixed to the lower end of said vertical shaft and in mesh with the gearwheel 15, the diverging finger-guards 29 and the throat-plate 23, fixed in the forward end of the platform-frame, the cutter-blades 20, 2O horizontally fixed to said vertical shaft, the reel or fan arms 24, 21 fixed to said shaft above said blades, and the shield 28' fixed to said platform above the fan-arms and inclined downwardly over the inside of the wagon-body, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

l/VILLIAM ROWVLAND.

Witnesses:

E. L. FOSTER, W. P. LYON. 

